Jones saw his side follow the Ospreys in losing to the Saints this month as Jim Mallinder's men ran if five tries at Rodney Parade.

Dreadful weather conditions made life hard for both teams but Jones was in no doubt where his side lost the Anglo-Welsh encounter against the in-form Aviva Premiership outfit.

"The front five had a tough time and I think that's a nice way of putting it," said Jones, after the Dragons let a one-point half-time lead slip as they lost 34-16.

"Northampton are a top four side in the Aviva Premiership and a genuine power side. You need to be able to deal with it or not bother turning up. It's a harsh lesson for us and it's not nice to take."

A try from Wales U20 scrum-half Luc Jones and a hat-trick of Jason Tovey penalties saw the Dragons lead 16-15 the break but the wind was with Northampton in the second period and they kept the hosts at bay throughout the final 40 minutes.

Northampton, who sit second in the Aviva Premiership and are into the Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-finals, scored three second-half tries through Mike Haywood, Gareth Denman and Gerrit-Jan Van Velze after a penalty try and another from the impressive Fa'atoina Autagavaia had initially handed them a 15-9 advantage.

The weather was so bad in the first half that the two teams were taken off for a short while to shelter from a heavy hail storm, but all the fire power in the second half came from a Saints side now striding towards the latter stages of a competition that will no longer involve the Dragons.

"In conditions like that you can't do anything other than get your set pieces right," said Saints director of rugby Mallinder. "All our forwards played well and the backs did their jobs and got us a few tries. The conditions were tough out there and I'm pleased we got the win."

It was a tough afternoon for Bedwas prop Joe Mills to make his regional debut with a 23-minute outing in the second period but the 25-year-old tight-head hopes it could lead to more involvement with the Dragons this season and next.

"It was a hell of a game, the weather wasn't the best but it was very quick and it was nice for me to gain the experience," said Mills, a product of the Rumney club in Cardiff and a carpenter by trade.

"It's been a bit of a roller-coaster year since I signed for Bedwas and it's just been nice to see what becoming a regional player involves. It's not as easy as I thought, but I've learned more this week than I have in a long time.

"It's given me a taste and I'll go back and speak to Lyn (Jones) and see where we go from here. Mind you, Bedwas won so I'll have to see if I can get back into their squad!"